- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
The New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Connor Hellebuyck from the Winnipeg Jets last Friday, adding a three-time Vezina Trophy winner to a club currently third in the Metropolitan Division with a 7-4-0 record.
Hellebuyck has acknowledged that the Stanley Cup remains the last missing piece of his resume. New general manager Sunny Mehta engineered the trade for a team whose top forwards include Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier, with defenseman Luke Hughes leading the club in ice time at 24 minutes per game.
During a Daily Faceoff LIVE segment, analysts Cameron Gaunce and Colby Cohen offered contrasting assessments. Gaunce does not place the Devils in the league's elite tier, comparing them to Washington and Boston rather than Carolina, Tampa Bay or Montreal. He cited Hellebuyck's lack of postseason success, Hughes's injury history and lost depth scoring.
Cohen called the move necessary and said the Devils look better on paper, noting Hellebuyck wins or is up for the Vezina Trophy every season. However, Cohen criticized the team's East-West style and high-risk, high-reward play, saying he is waiting for players to take the next step. The Devils have not won a championship since 2003.
Source: Daily Faceoff - Mon Oct 26, 11:25 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).